A couple weeks ago, Ryan Reynolds made some surprising statements about the future of the Deadpool franchise. Rather than being eager to complete a trilogy, the actor/writer/producer offered that Deadpool 3 isn't a guarantee, as you can't just keep stripping everything away from the protagonist. It was a quote that startled fans looking forward to a long cinematic future with the Merc With The Mouth -- but thankfully Deadpool/Deadpool 2 co-writer Rhett Reese has gone on the record saying why Deadpool 3 should still happen:

I think [Ryan Reynolds] makes a really good point, and yet I think the challenge will be maybe to do a Deadpool movie where we don't strip away everything from the character. Like maybe we go the other way, and he's getting big for his britches. Who knows? But I guess the biggest point is that we've been doing it straight for a number of years now, and we know that X-Force is coming next. So we know we've got a little breathing room. So I think the general feeling is let's let Ryan get out of the suit, us put the keyboards down for just a little while, take a little breather, and then come back to it. So that's the hope.

That's certainly a lot more optimistic, no? I had the pleasure of sitting down with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick this week during the New York press day for Deadpool 2, and while most of the interview was a dive deep into spoilers, it was at the start of our two-on-one interview that I inquired about Wade Wilson's future. I brought up Ryan Reynolds' quote about repeatedly stripping the character of everything he cares about, but Reese retorted offering that there are many different ways to tell a story with this character.

As suggested by Rhett Reese, the key to future success may just be to slow things down a little bit. Ryan Reynolds has been on a crazy campaign these past few months promoting Deadpool 2, wearing a suit he likens to a big, red body condom, and that kind of exhausting exercise would make anyone question the future. That being said, right now the only project with the character currently in development is Drew Goddard's X-Force, and they haven't even announced a release date for that one yet.

When I spoke with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick last year when they were doing press for the sci-fi thriller Life, they told me that X-Force and Deadpool 3 were being developed as parallel projects -- but an official time table has not yet been confirmed. Given Ryan Reynolds' recent comments and Reese's follow-up, there's definitely reason to believe that there could wind up being a beat between the two would-be blockbusters. We'll just have to wait and see how 20th Century Fox chooses to play it in coordination with the star and filmmakers.

In the meantime, Deadpool 2 hasn't even gotten here yet, as it will be in theaters this Friday, May 18th. Be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for a whole lot more from my interview with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, as well as the film's director and stars!

SPOILERS: Deadpool 2 End Credits Sequence - What Happens And What It Means